Soaked Innocence
by Master KaiKen
Summary: The title says it all. A nightly stroll at the barracks gives the General an unexpected encounter with a certain blond trooper… in the shower.... this is where it all started. YAOISxC, ZxC, SxCxZ
1. Chapter 1

Soaked Innocence

Summary: (The title says it all.) A nightly stroll at the barracks gives the General an unexpected encounter with a certain blond trooper – in the shower… This is where it all started. SxC, ZxC, SxCxZ

AN: Yeah, I know what you're thinking… "Oh no.. not another "SOLDIER" fic. rolls eyes" But hey, cut me some slack! To tell you the truth, this is my first FFVII fanfic… so deal with it. crosses arms

Disclaimer: Sephiroth owns the world. I mean it. Bow down to him…Now… Don't say I didn't warn ya.

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Chapter I

It was dark. The halls of the SOLDIER barracks were deserted, and nothing seemed to stir or shook. Most of the recruits were already in bed by this time; not wanting to be caught out after curfew. Yet, there was still something that stirred in the whole of this inky black darkness. Soft foot-falls could be heard not far from the distance. A swish of a leather coat and a scuffing of leather boots disturbed the settled air as a pair of eyes floated about, glowing in their wake. Mako filled eyes glowed in darkness, giving off a sense of cunning danger. Sephiroth quietly patrolled the barrack's halls, checking for odd disturbances in the night. His long silvery mane flowed behind him, even if there was no wind or air that could blow it back, making him look like a ghost of some sort to an unwary on-looker. This was his nightly duty as a general in SOLDIER, though not many know of this routine of his. He likes to take the load off with a nightly stroll and somehow, this calmed his nerves.

By this time, he'd already been patrolling for half an hour on the first few floors of the building. He finally landed on the last floor, where he would end his nightly tour of duty. Everything seemed to be in order. Not a sound was heard; not a thing stirred. He was just about to leave the hall when something caught the corner of his eye — a light was on. It came from the direction of the shower rooms... how odd. Softly hecould hear the pitter patter and the soft little splashes of water being used. Why would someone be still up at this hour? The curfew was strictly followed by everyone, and no one would risk breaking that rule.

He made his way to the shower rooms to investigate, which were just about four rooms ahead. Footsteps again echoed in the hall as Sephiroth made his way towards the bathrooms. He stood in front of the door where he heard the muffled sounds of splashing water and then gently turned the knob. The door creaked as it opened, and a wave of steam escaped from within. There was no doubt that someone was inside. Soft whimpers of pain bounced off the tiles, echoing through the whole room. Gingerly, he stepped inside, making sure not to slip on the wet floor. He surveyed the shower stalls and noticed that the last stall at the very end was on. He made his way towards it, ready to scold whoever the unsuspecting rule breaker was. Sephiroth stopped dead in his tracks when he found who was in the stall, feeling his breath being taken away by the mere sight before him.

Hands pressed against the tiled wall,blond hair soaking wet, breathing hard and completely nude, Cloud's back was facing the General, whose Mako eyes surveyed the boy's body from head to toe. Somehow, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. There was Cloud, standing before him, presented to him in a most vulnerable state. Well, isn't this a very unlikely encounter? Cloud Strife, the boy whom he had eyes for ever since the boy entered SOLDIER, was there in front of him; soaking wet and completely naked. His Mako eyes glowed in the faint darkness, taking in every bit of skin left unseen. He noticed patches of bruises were visible on the other's back. Maybe it was from all that SOLDIER training, he thought. A sudden twinge of pity coursed through him. With predatory eyes, he steeled himself up and spoke.

"Strife," A stern, almost commanding, velvety voice entered the blonde's ears.

The boy's whole body jerked in surprise, water sprayed to the nearby walls as he turned his head. Cloud's eyes focused and came to settle upon the black cloaked figure in the semi darkness. He gasped softly when the figure stepped into the moonlight, revealing its true form. His blue eyes met with glowing greenish Mako ones that he admired from afar. Sephiroth's presence was nothing sort of an epitome of cool.

Was this real? Maybe his mind was playing tricks on him again. He could feel his weariness and exhaustion were getting the better of him. He, the Great Sephiroth, honors him with his presence? If this was a dream then he wouldn't want to wake up ever again.

"What on earth are you doing at this hour, cadet? It's already past curfew." Sephiroth asked in his monotone voice.

Cloud blinked before reality sank in. He really _was_ there. He fought the urge to rub his eyes in disbelief. Instead he straightened himself up, turned his body about-face and saluted the general.

"Sephiroth, sir." He said, clicking both his heels together. He tried to put some strength into his voice but failed.

However, the General did not acknowledge this gesture of respect. Sephiroth's eyes darted down Cloud's lower body and brought themselves up again to look into the depths of cerulean blue ones. Suddenly, Cloud felt vulnerable and violated, seeing the glint in the other's eyes, yet he remained where he was in that position. Standing naked in front the General gave him fluttering butterflies in his stomach. Hot steamy water bombarded his painful back where most of his bruises were. He fought the urge to cry out in pain and bit his lip. Mako eyes were filled with mirth and lust as they explored the other's body. He closed them once again before he spoke.

"At ease." He commanded and Cloud put his hand down to the side then behind his back, spreading his legs slightly apart, giving the commander his full attention in a soldier's ease position. "You _do_ know the consequences of you rule braking…Am I right?" He asked. Cloud nodded.

An uneasy feeling dropped at the pit of the young one's stomach. He knew only too well that he was in so much trouble. Why did he have to take a shower in the middle of the night? He couldn't help it. His muscles were aching in exhaustion from training and he was just dying for a shower.

Sephiroth took a step closer towards the naked youth, his eyes never taking themselves off from the other's gaze. A mischievous thought popped into the General's head. Cloud needed to be punished right? – Then he would give Cloud what he _deserved._

The blond stiffens with fear as the silver-haired man made his way towards him. He saw a glint in the other's eyes that made him weak to his knees. This is it. He's going to be done for! Slowly, his feet moved to their own accord as he started to back away from the impending doom. Sephiroth's presence was overwhelming and it was too much for his hazy mind to swallow. Closer and closer the silver-haired one stepped towards the boy until his back hit the cold tiled wall and then winced a bit from the pain on his back. Now, there was nowhere to escape.

Piercing Mako eyes pinned him with a lustrous stare, paralyzing him with fear that his eyes could not look away. The water rained down on flowing silver hair, soaking the other in his leather clothes. Sephiroth loomed before him, a hand on each side of Cloud's head, their faces only mere inches away. Cloud could feel the other's breath on his slightly parted lips and noticed that he too was breathing quite hard. Both of them held each other's gaze, drowning each other with their stares.

Gently, with a gloved hand, Sephiroth pulls on Cloud's chin and presses the blonde's lips against his. Blue eyes widen with utter disbelief and surprise. His mind swam in a haze of confusion and fear, as he felt an eruption of wings at the pit of his stomach that made his knees buckle. For a long time, Sephiroth wondered how those lips felt and taste like. Now that opportunity had smiled upon him he wouldn't want to miss this chance now.

Cloud's eyes fluttered closed as he felt the other's lips on his, not entirely sure why he was agreeing to this. Well, perhaps not exactly agreeing, more like consenting, as he was not protesting. Try as he might, his arms remained limp at his sides. He welcomed the rather rare sensation of having lips on his, and in fact even pressed closer to the other man, finally able to wrap his arms loosely about Sephiroth's waist. But wait… what the hell is this?? It's Sephiroth! _The_ Sephiroth! And _Sephiroth_ was _kissing_ **_him_**! His mind went suddenly a blank. He wanted to squirm but can't since his body was paralyzed and was not following what his brain was saying.

Sephiroth smirked against his lips before darting out his tongue to seek entrance. Instinctively, Cloud's lips parted with a slight sound of protest. At that exact moment, his tongue and mouth were ravished inside. The silver-haired General took his sweet time to explore inside the trooper's mouth, while his hands traveled down to caress on the blonde's taught abdomen. Soft fleeting caresses teased the blonde's stomach, increasing the uneasy feeling at the bottom of his groin.

Hot water dripped everywhere, soaking the sliver-haired general down to the skin, despite his leather attire. Sephiroth pushed one of his thighs between Cloud's legs, pushing upwards on the now semi-hard member. A soft gasp escaped from the blonde's lips, breaking the passionate kiss. Sephiroth now took this opportunity to dart his attention on the now exposed neck.

Cloud again gasped as his neck was attacked with hungry kisses. Unconsciously, he hung his head upward to give the other access. His length twitched to life when a very sensitive spot on his neck was bitten, making him realize the situation he has brought upon himself. His eyes widen, with a bit of mirth and lust reflected in them. Without even thinking, he tried to push the taller one off him with all that was left of his strength. Mako eyes glowed, lips smirking slightly against Cloud's soft wet skin. Sephiroth knew only too well that Cloud would resist him. This was punishment after all… He took both of his gloves off, not breaking his lips from the other's skin, and with one swift move, a hand wrapped the blonde's pulsating member, squeezing gently to calm the other down with his squirming.

"Aaah…!" Cloud moaned out loud, feeling the hand that was squeezing him. Little did the General know that it will only increase the squirming. Sephiroth leaned down to graze his cheek against Cloud's then darted his tongue out to lick his ear lobe lovingly.

"Calm down…" he cooed in his lust filled voice, making the blond blush crimson upon hearing him.

Sephiroth smirked once more before squeezing the length and pumping it up and down, starting on a slow agonizing rhythm, his thumb grazing the tip each time his hand reached the top. Cloud panted and heaved; his face contorting in both pleasure and shame. His hands searched the cold tiles for something to grab on to, to prevent him from losing his weary sanity. Fingers clawed the slippery wet tiles and knuckles burned white. Cloud's head turned to the side and bit on his lip, his face burning in humiliation. Why was the General doing this? Questions filled his head once more as he let the General do his ministrations.

Lower and lower did Sephiroth's mouth venture and explore the other's body. All that the blonde youth could do was to submit. Sephiroth's exploring lips stopped to give attention to the boy's erected nipple, licking and sucking the hardened flesh and in turn to its twin, before eventually continuing his way down. The General's tongue massaged every muscle in Cloud's taught abdomen, stopping to settle to lap and lick the part just above his crotch.

Cloud could feel the tip of his erection touch Sephiroth's throat, just by the Adam's apple, which was bobbing up and down while the other licked and sucked. It was more than enough to drive him to the brink of insanity as he felt himself close – so very close to coming. A single string of pre-cum was left when that brief contact ended, leaving Cloud almost whimpering.

Sephiroth was more than delighted on his torture upon the blond. The soft gasping and quiet whimpers that the boy elicited urged him on. He was going to punish him alright, slowly… veeery slowly… tantalizingly slow... He didn't care how long it took, just as long he gets what he wants from the blond. The silver-haired one stopped abruptly from his ministrations and then quickly stood up, crushing his body against the other. His hand grabbed the boy's chin then crushed their lips in a fierce kiss. Cloud closed his eyes as his nostrils flared from the kiss given to him. His body was more than willing to press even harder against the other. Though, somewhere within his mind is saying that this was all a mistake. Sephiroth started to rock and sway his hips, grinding his leather covered pelvis against Cloud's nakedness creating delicious friction. Somehow, the boy forgot about his worrying and that part of his mind disappeared.

Suddenly… "BAM!" a bone crushing sound echoed throughout the bathroom. Cloud's mind came spinning that almost rendered him unconscious. His naked body almost hit the cold tiled floor. He felt a slight pang on his jaw and the warm trickle of blood, oozing out of his nose. Cloud barely recovered before it registered in his mind. – Sephiroth had punched him. He tried to cover his nose to stop the bleeding, but that didn't seem to help things any. The water washed away the thick blood as strips of it made their way down the drain.

Once again the tall figure loomed over him, Mako eyes glinting with malice. "On your knees boy." The General commanded.

Sephiroth kicked the small crouched figure on the floor. Cloud gave a loud cry, collapsing on his elbows and knees on the hard slippery wet floor. He gave another grunt as his blonde hair was pulled back none too gently. Sephiroth fiddled in his pocket to reveal a shining orb – a healing materia. He placed it gently against Cloud's blooded nose and sore jaw summoning enough magic to let the stone work its wonder. Cloud felt the warm healing energy from the small ball and slowly felt the pain ebb away. Sephiroth pushed the boy's head back then placed himself in between Cloud's thighs.

It was so unnerving for Cloud. The anticipation was making his head spin. Sephiroth could be so unpredictable, he thought. A grunt escaped his lips when suddenly he felt something slick and oily brush up his entrance. Sephiroth was now lapping and licking his tongue on the boy's tight hole. Cloud closed his eyes and groaned gripping the wet tiles. He arched his back, moaning as a string of saliva made its way down his chin. His member twitched to life once again at the other's ministrations as he moaned at the ache that he felt. His back arced unimaginably as hot water slicked away his sweat.

Sephiroth ended his rimming with a suck and a barely audible pop and smack of his lips before blowing slightly on the tight hole he so lovingly tasted. Cloud gave a sudden gasp and bucked as he felt the General's hardness against him which was still castrated inside his leather pants. He bit his lip and screwed his eyes shut as he heard the silver-haired one's zipper being opened. The blonde shivered as he felt Sephiroth's hugeness against him.

Without warning, Sephiroth thrust into him, deep and in full force. A sudden jolt of warm electricity traveled down his legs down to his toes as the General buried deep into him up to the hilt, hitting home. Cloud screamed at the top of his lungs, clawing the white slippery tiles; he couldn't care less if others could hear him. He came; spewing his cum on the tiled floor, still aching from not being touched. He swore he had never felt anything like that his entire life. It felt painful, yet incredibly good. Black spots danced in front of his eyes, and felt like he was going to pass out. His panting had increased ten-fold when he opened his half-lidded eyes. His wet slicked back heaved up and down with his chest, gleaming with sweat and hot water. Just when he thought he was going to faint, the General pulled out of him, only to thrust back in again.

"Nnnnnggh…" He groaned, his blue eyes shot open. That certainly made him wake up again. His member twitched to life again at the stimulation that the General inflicted. The trooper grinded his forehead against the tiled floor while biting his lip, letting the silver-haired man slip in and out of him in a steady rhythm. The friction was just unbearable, so unbearable that he unconsciously clenched around the man inside of him. The General's hands latched onto the blonde's hips as he thrust in and out, feeling the tightness around him. He placed wet kisses on the other's bruised covered back before his tongue made a long trail down the younger one's spine then back up again. Cloud could actually feel the man's humming vibrate against his skin. It felt sooO good.

The silver-haired man's hand traveled around the other's waist to wrap itself around the boy's aching member. Long slender fingers once again encircled Cloud's second burning arousal, relieving it with warmth and twiddling it in between appendages before pumping it mercilessly along with his thrusts. He made sure to rub the tip that was already sticky with come every time he pumped up. Cloud felt like he was about to burst from the two pleasures he was given.

"Had," pant. "enough," heave. "trooper?" grunt. Sephiroth's voice droned in heavy pants with each of his thrusts. "Maybe this would teach you to abide by the rules." He said in a low heavy voice.

Cloud wanted to reply. He really did. But all that came out from his mouth were his gasps and moans of utter pleasure. His mind was so clouded that it didn't register what the General had said. It wasn't like the General was waiting for an answer anyway; he was much too busy to hear him out.

It wasn't long before, after one hard thrust, the both of them exploded at the exact same moment, with Sephiroth spreading his hot seed inside the lithe blonde while Cloud creamed the floor with his own. Cloud felt like he died and went up to heaven, only to come back alive again. It took a while before they both got their bearings back. With a sigh of satisfaction, Sephiroth decided to pull out from that inviting hole. He flipped the blond over to his back, smiling the first genuine smile that night. Cloud stared up with blue clouded eyes at the being he now consider as a god, who was looking down at him under a curtain of silver. Sephiroth leaned forward to kiss the spot on the middle of the blonde's two collarbones, leaving a mark.

Hot mist enveloped the now two lovers, cocooning them both as the hot water showered the both of them on the bathroom floor. Cloud couldn't think it was reality anymore. It was like a dream. A dream that he never wanted to wake up from. If only it were real… His eyelids already felt like heavy weights on his eyes. He couldn't keep them open anymore so he let them close for his own sake. He didn't feel the body on top of him remove itself; he didn't hear the squeak of the tap and the sudden silence of the water; he didn't feel his body be carried away by warm inviting arms and he didn't feel the soft warm towels wrap around his soaked body. – No, for the blond had drifted into a long, well-deserved, dreamless sleep…

-Tsuzuku-

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AN: Gah… I suck at writing. I write like a fucking cunt! Geez… You have no idea how many fragments and run-ons I've committed. -shakes head in disappointment- sigh… Oh well, like anybody's counting, right? This, my friends, is my first _ever_ FINAL FANTASY fanfic. I was just lucky enough to watch Advent Children and Last Order (which I own by the way… you're lookin' at the owner of the original copies of FFVII:AC DVDs) So anyway, I just thought I would write a trial fic to see if I could really have the potential to write FFVII. I know I have to apologize for the plot (if ever it had one) for it being the usual and overused plot. -shifty eyes- Hmm… ok, now that all things are cleared up, I leave the rest to you. REVIEW!!! 


	2. Chapter 2

Soaked Innocence

AN: Alright, hmm… I know some of you were really confused with the last chapter. In particular with the 'punch' part. Well, let me explain. Somehow I got lost in the middle of writing that chapter… I dunno why. At the middle of it I suddenly remembered that Seph was supposed to** punish** Cloud. I got too much into their 'sex' part that I completely forgot where I was going. As for the ending, well… the warm fuzzy feeling inside of me kicked in for some reason. (And it still pisses me off up to this day.) I do hope you forgive me. u.u -bows-

And to make it all up to you, here's the Chapter two!… I know, I know. It took me long enough. -shrugs- But at least now there's a budding plot. ;;

note: I've made a few small edits in the first chapter, but you need not to go back and read it. I just corrected some typos I over looked, that's all.

Disclaimer: If my fics (or any other slash fic) were to have wound their way into the game script of FFVII, then maybe the game would be more interesting ne? Um.. or the rpg game would not have a plot at all. Just sex… Just imagine. A gay porn rpg? O.o But I doubt if that would sell in the market. Although, compared to Brokeback Mt… hmmm… -grins wickedly- Well, in any case, FFVII does not belong to me. It belongs to Square Enix. I only own original copies of FFVII:AC and Last Order. Capeesh? Oh! And I also managed to get my hands on Dirge of Cerberus!XD But I tell you. They are not created by me. I just buy them. Geez… this disclaimer is long. oy…

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Chapter II

Sirens rang through the halls of the compound. It bleared through the speakers in every corridor of the SOLDIER barracks, waking the recruits for the morning. The repetitive whine echoed and bounced off the walls as if knocking at every dormitory door. The sound was pounding in his head and it felt as if someone was chiseling his skull open. He winced in pain and turned over to burry his head into the pillows to try to drown out the sound. His whole body ached at that small movement causing him to cry out in pain. It hurt like hell. Where did all that hurt come from? His muscles were aching so much it were as if a thousand knives had pierced every inch of his body… yet, for some unknown reason, he felt very _satisfied_.

Watery blue beady eyes cracked open in frustration. He felt like he only had a moment of sleep last night. Now all he wanted to do was to just stay in bed and miss a day of exhaustion. That would be heaven! But no – reality bites like a bitch. If he slept in, his superiors would no doubt cook up another punishment made especially just for him. As if he wasn't humiliated in front of everybody enough yesterday. His instructor made him do a hundred laps and five hundred push-ups, and not only that, the bastard proceeded to whip lash him several times until he was satisfied. All just because he failed to answer them during drill. Geez… The Shinra ups are so unreasonable. He was lucky enough to be alive through that whole ordeal, thanks to the Mako shots they had yesterday.

Maybe he should just go to the infirmary and rest for the day? But then again… if he comes back, the others would patronize him as a weakling. In the end, there was no way out.

Reluctantly, he tried to sit up, his muscles screaming for out attention. He let the standard grey, military sheets uncover his bear chest as he ruffled is golden hair. He yawned a bit, causing him to stretch out. The blonde suddenly recoiled back because of the pain. He screwed his eyes shut, wincing. He tried to open them again after a few moments when the pain had subsided.

It took a few more blinks before everything came into focus, letting his surroundings become clearer. He unconsciously rubbed his legs against the bed covers and realized something peculiar. – Wait… why was he naked? He could only feel the roughness and the fuzziness of the sheets underneath his skin and nothing but. Odd. He doesn't usually sleep naked. He would usually wear his favorite chocobo printed pajamas before going to bed, no matter how hot it was at night. Albeit feeling childish… but what could he do? It was a reminder of home… His mother made it for him and… He shook his head, trying to dispel the memories of home that came flooding back. -- Now, come to think of it, he couldn't remember if he even made it to bed last night. All he could remember was that he was finally finished with his sift on his guard duty and then… well, he was too exhausted to recall.

He grunted.

No matter. That was the least of his worries. He had to get up and get dressed or else he would be late for the morning briefing and exercises again. Well, whoopteedoo -- who would want to miss that? The trooper rolled his eyes. The pain in his body would just have to wait. He'll just have to borrow healing materia once he could pass by the nurse's office. The blonde shudders. He hated going there. The nurses would often try to flirt with him, let alone molest him every time he would go there.

The young trooper yawned while rubbing his eyes, hoping that it would help remove the sleepiness that he felt. But all his efforts were all for naught, for he knew that that wouldn't help any. His eyes refused to open up all the way, it were as if heavy bags were preventing them from opening… He needed a nice cup of coffee… badly. Whoo, boy. Those Mako shots could really drain the hell out of you, he thought.

It took a huge exertion of his limbs to finally sit up properly. When his feet were finally touching the floor, he wrapped the sheets around his waist and then gingerly he stood up, making his way towards his small dresser. He runs his hands through the sticky tangled mess of his hair, trying to untangle some of it but failed as he looked into the small chipped mirror on his wall. – There he noticed something peculiar. Small red spots bombarded the pale skin of his neck and a particular big one in the middle of his two collarbones. Where the hell did those come from?, he asked himself, running his fingers on the rosy marks. The blonde sighs, thinking that it must be the mosquitoes again… but are mosquito bites that big and red? And aren't they supposed to be itchy? How come these aren't?

He shook his head, thinking that he was being paranoid. He sighed once again before bending to open two of his drawers where he keeps most of his underwear and clothes. He smirked inwardly as he scans his eyes over his neatly tucked clothing. He is a bit of a neat freak, he confessed. He picked up a pair of clean, rolled up, white socks along the line of the alphabetically arranged socks; a clean pair of briefs, a clean undershirt, a clean uniform jacket – the blue ones that troopers use – and standard Shinra military pants. He placed them on his bed as he grabbed his two shoulder guards and his scarf that goes with his uniform on the top of his dresser, before sitting and putting everything on.

It was a tedious and difficult task to do. His limbs were too much of a hindrance when he pulled through his aching joints and tight angles. His head still throbbed painfully, but not as painful as it had been when he waked up. The sirens still rang outside of his small compartment, making the throb on his temple still a bit unbearable. They were whining as if to say 'hurry up you ungrateful little maggots or you'll be late!'.

_Geez alright already! _

Just as he was done strapping the last strap on his boots, he heard the banging of doors flying open, and the tremble of boots outside of his room, indicating that his other 'companions' were already going down to the training field.

Crap!

He stood up from his crouched position, ignoring the scream of his painful muscles, and barged out of his door, turning into a sprint through the hall to join the other troopers.

----

Pant… pant… pant… He made it. Thank Gaea. A bead of sweat landed on the rough concrete floor, only to disappear and evaporate a mere second after that. The morning sun above was already ablaze as the would-be SOLDIERs assembled in front of their officers on the training grounds. His hands were pressed firmly on his knees in a mid bent position as he tried to get his composure back.

Why does this have to happen every morning?, he thought. He was again late in taking the elevators earlier, and because of that, all of them were already full beyond capacity. Others, who often liked to taunt him, even pushed him out, making him land on his butt as he tried to squeeze himself in. Only then did he feel an excruciating pain beyond belief that made his eyes water. He wanted to scream, but he only bit his lip and winced as he stood up, the ache of his bottom still reminiscent. The elevator doors closed in front of him as if to mock him further. And so because of that, he had to run down 13 flights of stairs just to get to the training grounds.

He heaved his last pant, before straightening up and wiping the sweat off his forehead with the back of his palm, just in time as the drill sergeants started on roll call. His blue eyes returned to their usual passiveness, half of his face hidden by his scarf, as he scanned his surroundings.

He saw that other troops were already starting on their exercises, with their bodies bent to one side, doing stretches. Others were marching around the field grounds in tight straight lines, shouting 'I don't know but I've been told!'.

"I can't here you, you useless maggots!! LOUDER!" the Drill shouted at them. The troopers abide by straining their developing voices more.

And others still, were doing high jumping jacks as their drill sergeants shouted and spited at their faces. He pitiedly watched a young recruit dropping down to give his Drill a fifty… thousand. The drill sergeant loomed down on the poor guy, barking profanities at the fallen trooper.

Ah yes, 'twas a normal morning in Shinra's Junon Headquarters…

"Did you hear the noises last night?" the blonde's ears suddenly picked up the hushed conversation of his fellow companions in his unit on his line. He didn't know why he was interested in hearing this farfetched story out, but listened he did.

"Yeah I did." A scrawny looking trooper whispered back. "It was really creepy." the boy mock shudders.

"Do'ya think it was a ghost?" another commented in an equally hushed voice. "I heard a story of a dead trooper once, who died before graduation.1 And it is said that his ghost still haunts the trooper barracks to this day, doing his regular duties as a trooper and still anticipating the day of his graduation."

"Nonsense." Another one butted in. "He only haunts the first three floors of the barracks." He said as-a-matter-of-factly "It's probably the nurse who got raped during the war.2 Some even claimed they even saw her roaming around in her white bloodied uniform with her long black hair covering her face."

"Yeah, I've heard of that." the one beside him agreed. "I heard they could even hear her haunting screams at night in the hour when she was raped. She would usually moan 'help me help me… no… stop it… ahhh…'" the trooper imitated in a high pitched voice.

"yeah! The noises were pretty much like that last night."

"Where was she raped anyway?"

"I heard she was raped in the shower stalls."

"No wonder I feel something really creepy every time I go there. Remind me to never take a shower there again."

"Hey you know, come to think of it. I'd say I heard the noises coming from in there last night too…"

The others nodded in agreement.

Superstitious idiots…

The blonde trooper scoffed to himself. It was stupid how they believed this farfetched bullshit. As far has he knew, he didn't hear anything of the sort last night. They were just imagining it.

Yet the conversation did remind him of something from home…

How many accounts have he heard about the village people gossiping that they heard screams of agony every time they would go near that place? How many times had his friends dared him to go inside that place just to see what happens? How many nights have he dreamt of nightmares because of that place? Now, he was not by nature superstitious, and even less so having a skeptical mind, but the ancient legends about that somber place and the melancholic moaning of the wind back then made his skin crawl and the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end… The infamous abandoned mansion on top of the mountains in his hometown…

"Strife!" A voice boomed along his unit's line. The young blonde was disrupted from his eavesdropping and reminiscing when his name was called.

He blinked and steeled himself up before answering, "h-Here!". He stated it shakily than he would normally would, which would definitely piss off his drill sergeant.

Here goes nothing, he gulped. His instructor would definitely spit on his face again and bark at him that he's 'an incompetent imbecile' or a 'weakling' or 'bow-legged vermin' or an 'unrespecting maggot' or 'whore' or his favorite, 'a useless piece of shit. Why are you even here?'. But the one that hurt the most was 'You'll never become a SOLDIER at this rate. You can never live up to the great Sephiroth because you're lower than dirt, you're a maggot!'. After those insults would be several whiplashes. Their drill sergeant had a hobby of threatening his students with his skills with a whip.

He closed his eyes shut, bracing himself from his mentor's wrath, ready to make the most passive face he could create to counter the other's insults; ready to take in the slew of abuse and profanities that was thrown at him. He then felt someone's body heat in front of his face and the scraping off boots until… it fell past him? – But… it never came. He peeked one eye open to see if it was safe to open both of his eyes. He saw nothing. No nostrils steaming, no ugly face screaming at him, spiting at him. Now, he opened both of his eyes. He just heard the other succeeding names be called and nothing more.

'Guess he just got lucky. He shrugged.

He trailed his eyes to the left of his line to see why he was not scolded. To his surprise, not the usual grayish brown uniform and hat was there, but a tuffle of huge black spikes for hair and the famous SOLDIER uniform was all that he saw. A tall SOLDIER walked along the rows of young troopers carrying a clipboard of names in his hand, his back facing the blond. Where was their drill sergeant? Not that he was complaining, though. He was not really worried that that bastard was gone for once. Finally.

"Alright," the voice boomed again as the last name was finally called. The hushed conversation of ghost-hunting ceased. He saw the tall SOLDIER turn to face them as he put the clipboard down to his side, which the troopers now gave him their full attention. He saw that the SOLDIER had a slight smile of satisfaction on his young handsome face at all of them, as if he was proud of them or something. He regarded them all with a swift sweep of his dark purple mako eyes before plastering a grin on his face.

"Attenhuuut!" he boomed again, the troopers straightened up and stiffened. The SOLDIER took a few paces before speaking. "You might be wondering where your dear drill sergeant, Sergeant Damaso, went off to." He said, his voice was loud enough for everyone to here, yet calm enough not to startle the lot of them. He walked among them, placing both his hands at his back while slowly pacing to and fro along the line of troopers and staring at each of their faces. "He has gone on an assignment for a while, and will not be back until that mission is done."

Inside, he wanted to jump for joy at that news. He was finally free of that 'bow-legged vermin' for god knows how long! Hah!

"That is why I'm here." The SOLDIER continued. There was an aloof air at the way he spoke as he regarded the young recruits. "I am Lieutenant Colonel Zack, SOLDIER 1st Class."

Woah… a First Class SOLDIER. He thought timidly. If he could remember correctly, there were not a lot of those around. They were the best of the best. Hand picked by Sephiroth himself. His feeling of being comfortable at this guy's presence turned into a feeling of intimidation and… admiration.

"I will be substituting your drill sergeant for the length of his absence or until necessary." He continued, not minding the few whispers from the young troopers. "I sure do hope I will receive your full cooperation, gentlemen." he said and slowly paced again. "You will regard to me as 'Sir', 'Lieutenant Colonel', 'Sergeant'," he boomed, his voice turning into a business like tone. Great, another power hungry official, he thought.

Feeling with dread, the blond trooper didn't want to here the slew of honorable names that they would be calling the higher-up anymore so he bowed his head, but then… "…or just plain Zack, if you will." The SOLDIER finished with a grin. "Screw the formality crap, right?" the SOLDIER paused, to let the information sink in to all the young troopers. "Is that understood?"

The other troopers were startled, yet eager at this permission of using the Officer's first name. Who'd've thought a guy like this belonged to the Shinra higher-ups? Inwardly they agreed, not actually knowing what to say to that.

"I can't here you!" the Lieutenant Colonel shouted, cupping his ear with his hand in mock deaf.

"Sir! Yes Sir!" the troopers said in chorus, clicking their heels with a salute.

"Good. I'm glad we have an agreement, gentlemen." He said, all in good humor, clicking his heels too. "I _am_ giving you permission of using my name, but remember;" his tone came back to its usual steady mantra of business. "that does not mean that I am as same level as you." He warned them. "Sure, let us all be in good terms, but I am still your higher officer and as your senior I demand respect. Is that clear?" he paused to see if they were all still listening.

"Sir! Yes Sir!"

"Now then," he said, clapping both his hands. There was a glint in his eyes as he smirked at the weary recruits. "The lot of you, give me fifty laps in the field!" he suddenly barked. "Let's move move move move move!!!" he repeated, his voice low, gesturing them to move faster with is arm.

The calm air suddenly broke out into sudden alertness as the young recruits scamper to do the lapse out in the training field, with their new instructor barking orders at their tail as he marched along with them. "We don't have all day ladies!"

So much for expecting to be different… The blonde trooper sighed, closing his eyes.

"You! Cloud Strife! What the hell are you sighing about? This ain't a pity party little missy! Let's MOVE!!" The Lieutenant Colonel barked directly at him. The blonde winced as he started to gain pace with his running again.

Gee, the Lieutenant already knew who he was… unlike the other instructors who regarded him as an insignificant weed. They would usually call him 'trooper' or 'maggot' or other insulting names, and not by his last name _or_ his first name. --He shook his head. Or maybe he was just imagining it?…

--

Just as the Lieutenant Colonel's troop came to a curve on the track, a pair of eyes observed them idly in the shadows. Back leaning against a barrack wall, arms crossed across an exposed chest, silver hair spilling on broad shoulders and a smirk pulling on ungodly lips. Mako green eyes filled with longing followed a certain blonde trooper across the training field.

"You're in good hands now… Cloud." Soft and velvet were the words that left those lips, disappearing into the silent wind for no one to hear…

----

At exactly Oh-seven hundred hours, their morning briefing and exercises finally ended. The heaven-sent order of 'Dismissed!' finally rang throughout the grounds among the hungry and wasted recruits. Most of them were already making their way towards the 4th floor to the mess hall, but a few remained and lied on the concrete floor, taking a bit of rest before proceeding to breakfast. One of those few was Cloud, who was panting and heaving on his back on the ground.

Sweat dribbled to the side of his forehead as the sun now came high above the sky, pouring its heat on the exhausted blonde trooper. He was the last to finally get up, but he didn't mind, he didn't want to involve himself with the chaotic rush of meal time. Pushing and shoving himself amongst hungry men who acted like starving wolves was not a very attractive thing to do at the moment. Plus, it gave him time to rest for a bit… But if he stayed like that any further, he would be left with leftovers from last month again. And feeling the sudden hunger for food and fuel, he tried desperately to pull himself up.

He wanted to get up, he really did, but his body refused to move because of exhaustion, added with his still aching muscles. His limbs were outstretched on the hot pavement as he panted and heaved, arms stretched at either side. His blue eyes were closed shut to shield them from the brightness of the sun. For a while he just stayed there, lying on the floor as if dead. Nobody even had the initiative to help him or to ask him if he needed any help.

Well, as if he could do something about that, he internally scoffed. Even if he cried out for help, no one would come for him. – That was the basic unspoken law here: It was every man for himself… 'The survival of the fittest', as they say. That's what the competition was for; it's choosing the best of the best; the natural selection of elite SOLDIERs. –– if you asked him, it was all bullshit. Young men of all ages and hopefuls come here with hopes and dreams, with enthusiasm and eagerness evident in their innocent faces… only to be crushed in the end. And then what happens? Their lives are wasted and hopeless. Was he also going to suffer that same fate?

No.

He made sure of that. He came here to realize his dreams of becoming a full-fledged SOLDIER… for his mother – for Tifa… and most especially for himself. He wanted to become an elite member of Shinra in order to help the people of this planet who are in need. And maybe, just maybe, if he finally gets to the top, he would change the way things are being corruptibly done. And most of all, he wanted to become just like his idol… the great and honorable Sephiroth.

Ever since he was old enough to read a newspaper and actually know what SOLDIER was – though he doubted then if he really ever knew what it was; not after the bitter truth had hauled back and sucker punched him in the face did he know what the ShinRa organization really was – he started a sort of… fetish for entering Shinra and become a SOLDIER just like Sephiroth. He would often share this obsession with Tifa who only laughed quietly and encouraged Cloud to chase his unreachable dreams. She even made him promise that he would be her bodyguard someday if ever he would become an 'elite SOLDIER', like a 'knight-in-shining-armor' of some sort… Well, someday anyway… Now that he was currently 'chasing his dreams', it was now slowly turning into more of a nightmare.

No matter how high his dreams have become, life seemed to pull him smack back down to the ground. He was treated like he was the lowest of the low. Like he was an insignificant spec, stomped down to the ground, like he was dirt. He was treated like a nobody. Ever since he came to this godforsaken place, nobody treated him as an equal. Nobody even talked to him. Why? Was it because they think him weird? Was it because he was smaller than most of them? Was it because he was from some unknown hick town? Was it because he was weak?… His instructor was right. He'll never become a SOLDIER at this rate. He can never live up to the great Sephiroth because he was lower than dirt.

The sun was now being unforgivable up above as it sheared his skin as if to punish him further for dreaming of such impossible things. The concrete underneath him was being no help either to his condition. He felt like he was being fried alive on a hot skillet. He just wished he could just get out of this predicament sooner.

And like an answered prayer, everything seemed to cool down for a bit. He was very grateful that a cloud had passed by to cover the damned sun to give some much needed relief… or so he thought, until he opened his eyes. There he saw familiar black spikes and the famous SOLDIER uniform standing over him, casting a strong shadow and shielding the blonde from the heat. Purple eyes regarded him with… was that concern he saw in them? Cloud blinked up at the man who was standing and looking down upon him, not really knowing what to do.

"Need any help?" the Lieutenant Colonel asked him in a strong soft voice.

Cloud blinked again, still not answering the officer. But he needed not to answer for a hand shot down and was offered to the fallen would-be SOLDIER. Blue eyes glanced at the said hand and then he reluctantly took it without a said word. The blonde was pulled up on his own two feet by strong muscled arms as he brushed off some excess dirt on his pants, not wanting to look at the other. He could see a friendly grin plastered on the SOLDIER's face at the corner of his eye when the other let go of his hand, and vaguely wonders why he was helped… by an officer of all people.

"Don't I get a thank you?" The SOLDIER said casually. At this, Cloud raised an eyebrow. He was very grateful for the help, but it was a bit awkward at the moment. Normally, other officers would even kick you to the dirt at that show of weakness… but this guy didn't. It just wasn't what he expected.

"Thank you… s-sir." Cloud said timidly with a bow, abiding the other's question before he got into trouble.

"Call me Zack, I insist." The other said, softly patting the young trooper on the shoulder, unknowingly awakening a slight pang of pain from the blonde's joint. "And think nothing of it. It was the least I could do."

Cloud nodded at that, not really knowing what to say back. He was much too preoccupied in hiding the winces of pain on his face in his scarf to answer. Truth be told, he didn't know why this SOLDIER was acting and trying to be nice to him. He was pretty much pissed off with this guy for making them train so hard. But now, he just couldn't bring himself to hate him altogether. It slowly occurred to him that they were now the only ones left in the whole training grounds. Everything was silent and deserted.

"Are you alright? You don't look so good." '_Zack_' asked him in concern. Ah, so, he wasn't successful in hiding his pain.

Cloud shook his head. "I'm fine, sir." A lie.

"Are you sure? Maybe I should take you to the infirmary." Zack regarded him with a disapproving look. Maybe because of the use to the 'sir' in the end of his sentence or his offer being rejected; he wouldn't know. But the expression was suddenly wiped from his face with smile. "C'mon I'll take you there."

Cloud backed away slightly, his hands in a slight surrender. "No, I'm quite alright sir. – I mean… er… Zack, sir. I feel fine. _Really_." He said quietly.

Zack gave him… was that a pout? "Well, alright if you insist." He sighs, but his face suddenly lights up again. "But, maybe I could try to fix that." Zack smiled, reaching something from his pocket. "I've got just the thing." He says and pulls out a small glowing orb – a materia.

Cloud's eyes widened. That's just what he needed, a healing materia. 'Saves him the trouble of going to that (accursed) infirmary, he thought. His slight smile was hidden underneath his scarf as he nodded in acknowledgement. Zack then, pulled gently on the blonde's hand, placing the orb on his palm much to the young one's surprise.

"Use this, ok?" the SOLDIER said, closing Cloud's fingers around the ball with the cupping of both his hands. "But I still want you to go to the infirmary, just to be sure." he pointed seriously. "That's an order." He added, with a wink.

Cloud nodded, his eyes emotionless, yet they reflected a slight amusement in their depths.

"Here," a handkerchief was offered too. The trooper blinked in curiosity at the other. "Wipe your face."

Oh.

He meekly took the cloth and gave a meek bow, and before he could even look up, Zack was already walking away. Blue eyes stared after the walking SOLDIER with an emotionless gaze…

He blinked. That was weird. What the hell was that all about?

There he was left alone with the soft wind whispering to him as he stared at his hand. In them he saw the glowing materia and the blue handkerchief staring innocently back at him. He shrugged and wiped his face with the handkerchief, taking an unexpected whiff of the scent of spicy manly cologne. Blue eyes slightly widened. The scent was strong yet mellow and reminded him of cinnamon and apples with aftershave.

It smelled good.

------------------

The scuff of a pair of leather boots neared him. Aqua mako eyes looked up to stare at the owner of the said boots and look into a pair of purple mako ones. A finely chiseled silver eye brow rose, expecting an answer.

"Hey."

"Well…?"

Fingers casually laced behind spiky black hair, nonchalantly leaning back on the wall that his so-called friend was leaning on.

"He refused to be taken to the infirmary." He said as if bored, "But I gave him the materia just as you said… Sir." He added the 'sir' just in time. He had so gotten accustomed in not calling the other by formal names.

There was a moment of strong silence between the two elites and it lasted an eternity of a second.

"I see…" finally said the other and nodded. "Good." Gloved hands pushed off the wall. A graceful movement. Long silver hair waved behind him like water as he turned to leave the dark alleyway of the barracks. Foot steps started to drop heavily away.

"Would that be all sir?" an empty question.

"Yes, that would be all." stern and emotionless.

"Then, am I dismissed, sir?"

The footsteps came to a cease.

"I put you in this position because I trust you more than anyone, Zack. I expect you to take care of him… for me," He said, without turning over to look, his broad back still turned from the other. "and that's an order."

But why? Why him?

"Understood."

He then turns to leave again, continuing the heavy footsteps until they fade away and disappear in the corner. Only the slip of leather coat was the last thing that was seen until it to, was gone.

Purple eyes frowned in dismay and longing. A heavy sigh escaped his lips. He turns his eyes towards the heaven as if to curse it.

Why him…?

Why won't you look at me Seph?

Why won't you notice me?

Why won't you love me back…?

* * *

There. All done!XD For the second chapter anyway… I hope the last part wasn't too vague for you. It pretty amazes me that there isn't even so much as a hint of something sexual in this chapter. Just some stubble hints of admiration and unrequited love. It's all plot plot plot and nothing but plot. Yey, I was visited by so many plot bunnies!... But did I mention that I'm allergic to them? Hmm… I submitted this raw, meaning that I didn't let someone beta it for me. I dunno. I was just lazy to show it to other people. -shrug-

note: I do know for a fact that the SOLDIER military base, Junon, does not reside in Midguar or in the main ShinRa headquarters. But for this fic, I placed it inside the facility itself, so not to confuse everybody. Plus, it's more convenient that way.

1 I got this idea from an urban legend that I've read somewhere. Actually, originally this was a ghost of a young seminarian from a convent. He was the top 1 of his class and was supposed to graduate as valedictorian… until an accident happened and he died.

2 This idea I got from history class, watching old war movies during the 2nd world war and another urban legend. Now, this really happed in our country's history. During the Japanese occupation in WWII, the Japanese soldiers took over a hospital and they proceeded to torture and kill everyone in it, including the sick. They killed the doctors and patients, all but leaving nurses to be their 'comfort women'. They repeatedly raped them and killed them afterwards.

Anyway… you know what to do. -whistles casually- points to the review button


	3. Chapter 3

Soaked Innocence

AN: Thanks for those who reviewed. In any case, I really do apologize for the boring last chapter. It really was quite redundant. But I'm not taking it down. If you ask me, I didn't quite like how it all turned out. I really didn't like how Zack had turned out. He wasn't supposed to be a high-strung official, but a new SOLDIER recruit… however; luckily I have an idea up my sleeve. -smiles-

Anyhoo -- Here's the most anticipated 3rd installment of SI. (I have an insane urge to change my title into 'Cloud's Soaked Innocence' for some unknown reason… that is so that I could call my fic 'CSI'! XD pift…ok, I'll shut up now.) I don't know where this plot is taking me but I'm going along with it anyway. Actually, I already have an ending for this fic, buuuuuut… the problem is, I have no idea what I'll write between in transition to that. I'll try not to overshadow too much. -sigh-

And I do clearly apologize if this fic is taking so long to get out. Why you ask? Well… 1) I have a life that's clearly too busy. 2) I'm a lazy-ass bum. 3) I DON'T HAVE INTERNET CONNECTION! – even dial-ups! (I know. Then all you people would go like 'why don't you just go to an internet café or something?'… well honey, it ain't that easy. You see, I have strict parents who won't let their children go out into the big bad world. They won't even let us out past the gates… No. I'm not kidding there. 'Tis a sad little world I live in, huh?) and 4) I only write in my spare time or when I feel like it.

note: Mentions of Dirge of Cerberus and Crisis Core would be shown, but not really as a spoiler. Just some glimpses of Shinra's deepest darkest secrets, 's all. Nothing to fear about. (more notes at the bottom)

Disclaimer: I already told you, I DO NOT own them! Sephiroth owns the world!!! He's the real mastermind behind the September 11 bombings! O.o;; … or it could be Hojo… -talks in his crazy talk-

* * *

Chapter III

Grunts…

Panting…

Shouts…

"Hiiiyaaa!"

The occasional clang of metal against metal, ringed throughout the area. Sparks flew here and there. Gloves squeaked against the slippery hilt of a rusty worn out sword. Sweat sprinkled the wooden floor, leaving it with an almost polished sheen. A hand gripped tightly; gloves squeaking once more. Muscles tensed up on lithe shoulders before attacking forward, leaving a spray of perspiration in his wake.

"Rrryyyaaa!!!!"

Another clang of metal.

"'Heard about the new Lieutenant Colonel lately?" a whisper was heard from the small group of recruits that were watching the sparring.

"Hmm… He's new here right?" one said.

"Uh huh." A nod.

"Guess how old he is."

"dunno, how?"

"18."

"What? No way! He's barely our age! How could _he _be an officer then?"

"I heard that Brigadier General Angeal trained him."

"Yeah, and I heard he aced the SOLDIER entrance exams and that he got top scores… well, next to Angeal, Genesis and Sephiroth's anyway… Next thing he knew he was promoted to a high-ranked position."

A shrug. "pisssh… He probably bribed his way through it."

"Hey, isn't he supposed to be an intern instead?"

"Yeah he is. And he's the General's intern."

Clang!

Slash…

Thud.

He found himself being distracted by the small talk. He really wasn't into eaves dropping, but sometimes he couldn't help it. His ears would often pick up signals that were not meant to be heard.

Clang…!

"Alright, that was good." A slow clapping of hands was heard from among the pockets of sword fighting. Boots scoffed the squeaky wooden floor, making their way towards a particular sparring.

The two recruits that were sparring relaxed somewhat and backed off of each other as their trainer walked towards their pair. The two of them were barely recognizable from the visor covered helmets that they were sporting. It was a Shinra standard. The two recruits drew to a dueling stance, where in the tip of the sword merely pointed at the other with two hands gripping the hilt as they waited for further instructions.

"That was very good." The trainer said once more as he drew to a close. "Although, little miss shorty here hasn't quite gotten used to this new stance." The instructor said casually, a thumb pointing at the said trooper, as if pointing out what he didn't like about a dress he was going to wear. This earned him a slight tick on the forehead from the said trooper. The nerve of him!, he screamed internally. He seemed more annoyed at the officer after hearing his other trooper companions' gossip. Stunningly blue visor-covered eyes gave the Lieutenant Colonel a sharp look, but this was left unseen. The SOLDIER motioned to the other trooper parallel to the blue-eyed recruit, giving him an order to get another practice sword from the rack for him. The other trooper saluted and went on his way, leaving the officer and himself to themselves.

Dark mako blue eyes now focused themselves on him, lips grinning casually. He tilted his head and put his thumb to his chin, his mako eyes giving the boy the up and down. For some unknown reason, he didn't feel too comfortable with that look the Lieutenant was giving him.

"That was very impressive Strife." Lieutenant Zack said, while nodding his spiky head. "but your style is not yet quite that perfect." He added, striding slowly to stand behind the blonde, who did not move or twitch from his spot and stance. "Your body is perfect for fast and quick attacks, although, your blows might not be as damaging."

Then, something unexpected happened.

Before he could even realize, two arms found their way and slid around his torso from behind making, the lithe blonde gasp somewhat. A rush of blood covered his face at that gesture; his whole body became taught, rigid and tensed. He really didn't know if whether he should move or not, so he tried his best not to. The two hands found their way sliding on his arms and finally overlapping themselves on the youth's hands that were griping the hilt. The trooper gulped. He suddenly feels the other's hair brush against his cheek as it falls forward from behind his instructor's ear.

"Spread your legs." A whisper said to the blonde's ear, hearing the soft order coming from the Lieutenant.

What?

He panicked. What did he say? It was not expected. It could not be properly processed. He was at a loss.

"Spread your legs more so you'll have a wider base in attacking." The instructor continued, a hand passing over one of his thighs to spread the boy's legs apart. "Make sure to bend your knees before you lunge into attack. This'll do twice the damage. Remember, a wider base can give you a larger center of gravity."

Cloud nodded firmly in an annoyed way. Of course he already knew all those stuff! So why the hell was he being taught again? He kept his eyes on the hilt of the sword in front of him and nothing else. He made sure to take note of the tips he was getting and not observe where the hand of the Lieutenant was going. For a minute there he thought…

"Always remember to keep your eye on the target." The trainer continued, gripping the hilt of the sword once more and making a forceful practiced swing with the trooper's hands in between his own. "And attack with full force."

And with that, the instructor stepped away from the close proximity, much to the relief of the blond, and giving a hard pat on the young trooper's shoulder. Cloud hadn't noticed that he was actually holding his breath that whole time when his constricted lungs finally gave off as he breathed in a deep sigh of relief. That was really weird… At that moment, his sparring partner decided to come back with the practice sword and tossed it over to the Lieutenant, who caught it with a grab of his arm in mid air.

"Now, show me what ya got, Spike." The lieutenant egged him on as he drew to a stance.

Cloud faced him, a fierceness flashing across his blue eyes behind his visor, feeling a little irk at being called 'Spike'. He spread his legs, bent his knees and lunged forward, ripping a determined cry from his throat.

"Kyyaaaaaaaaaaa…!!!"

Clang…!

Scrape…

Pant…

"Good. Now attack me again."

The blond again formed another stance, determined to knock this guy out-cold. Only because he was mad and in order to finally prove himself that he was stronger than any SOLDIER. Truthfully he didn't know weather he would be embarrassed, angry or annoyed with the higher officer.

And then he'd ask himself, why would he be? It's not like he was hurt or anything… Insulted maybe, but… he was used to taunts and insults. Heck, the guy even helped him earlier in the training field!

But, what just happened right now… It was unacceptable. The Lieutenant Colonel had just gone and invaded his own personal space!

The trooper gave another desperate blow only for it to be blocked out forcefully. A sly smirk was seen on the trainer's lips. Blue eyes frowned again, taking another kind of stance before thrusting forward, spinning a twirl before landing a second blow.

Swish!

Clang!

Scrrrape…

Sparks flew as the two metal swords collided in a strong friction. By this time, a small crowed had gathered around the two, admiring the small battle. Cloud tried all the different kinds of stances that he knew, only for every attack to be either blocked and/or dodged. The young trooper whizzed around the instructor, never stopping from his attacks and never giving a chance for the SOLDIER to counter an attack.

Whoop.

Crash.

Cling!

"Whoa, feisty aren't we, trooper? Nice. I like that. You're pretty fast." The SOLDIER complemented, blocking another (supposedly) deadly blow. Their swords grinded against each other, metal against metal. Cloud could actually see a ghost of a smirk on the other's lips as they stared at each other through their swords. "But luckily, I'm faster."

That last statement was said casually, too casually that it wasn't enough to trigger Cloud's spidy senses to move into action. Without warning the Lieutenant Colonel leaned further, adding pressure to their already grinding swords, making the young recruit almost stumbling back. Cloud was pretty sure that his blade would brake. With wide blue-eyed astonishment, the trooper suddenly found himself be hauled back, his sword was discarded, noisily dropping to the floor with a clatter; both his arms were painfully grabbed and pinned against his back as his face hit the hard wooden floor with a smack and a loud thud, making his helmet roll out of his head, revealing his wonderfully spiky blond hair.

A groan.

An applause had spread over the small audience that had gathered to watch, cheering the young SOLDIER at his 'triumph'… Really, triumph? – he shook his head. – He had just beaten a lowly trooper… Really, what would the General say? The officer thought sarcastically. The trooper groaned in pain underneath him from the pressure he had on both of the kid's arms.

Cloud winced under him, feeling the pain on his arms that were twisted in a very painful angle. He was pathetic, how could he let that happen? If only he was more alert that time, he could've dodged that attack. He should've thought outside the box. Damn it… He closed his eyes; he closed them so that he wouldn't have to see those faces, those insulting faces that would jeer at his loss and weakness. Once again, a higher up has proven that he was not fit to be SOLDIER. He could hear their laughter around him, echoing against his ear. Jeering at him, spitting at him and saying that he was a pathetic maggot. Oh how right they were…

But suddenly, the laughter ceased. Everything became quiet and still. What was going on? The silence made the sudden tension in the room unbearable.

Footsteps.

He could hear footsteps. Silent steady footsteps. Heavy leather squeaked the smooth floor as he felt the vibration against his cheek. He once again opened is eyes, searching among the forest of feet in front him. All heads were turned in the same direction of the sparring gym and he could even see the instructor on top of him look at its general direction too.

Who _was_ that?

The footsteps continued. Steadily and silently. Then after along moment, he could finally see a pair of long slender leather covered calves walk in front of his peripheral vision. A long swishing black coat billowed in its wake as tendrils of silver hair float noiselessly behind. Blue eyes looked slowly up to find a broad half-opened leather clad chest and… a glance of the brightest, greenest eyes he had ever seen.

Was he dreaming? He could swear to Gaia that he had seen those pair of eyes before. Oh, how he dreamt he would someday see those eyes up close when he stared at the pictures in the newspaper when he was a kid. No… it couldn't be. It just can't…

Just as the pair of footsteps reached the other side of the Gym to exit, the boots scoffed and turned to face the occupants of the room.

"Carry on." The voice boomed, low, smooth and velvety.

Everyone gave a collective whoop and saluted as the General made his exit, leaving the occupants to continue what they had been doing before. As noise filled the entire hall once more, Cloud groaned and thumped his head against the wooden floor. No shit. That was the General. _The_ GENERAL for Gaia's sake! And it was the first time he saw him too, since he entered the trooper training program. And to think that the General saw him in this… this, compromising position under his so-called instructor.

How humiliating…

"Oh, uh… ya better get up now cadet." came the uneasy command from the officer on top of him.

------

Lights were out at exactly ten. This was the usual time wherein the General would usually do his rounds through the SOLDIER barracks. It was now half-past ten. Eight to nine was the usual last shift of guard duty for that day. At exactly twenty-two hundred hours the sirens would ring throughout the facility to signify the start of curfew, letting the troopers, SOLDIERs and employees scurry to their dorms and barracks.

He didn't know why the General started his patrol that late in the evening, but feeling with nothing else better to do, he decided to do it early. He had to abide with the General's schedule or else he would get another cold stare from the silver-haired wonder tomorrow. It wasn't exactly his job, but he had to do it for the sake of promotion. Sephiroth was having a meeting with professor Hojo again that evening for god knows what, and, as the General's intern, apprentice and right-hand man, he was automatically the substitute. Not that he minded doing this job, mind you. This was one of the easiest tasks that he had to do as an intern, and that was just one of them.

Silently he patrolled the eerie metal hulls of the Shin-Ra Junon Facility from the 13th to the 60thth floor where the SOLDIDER sector mostly resided. The 61st floor onwards would belong to Shinra's other branches, like the Investigation Sector of the General Affairs department (alias: TURKS); the Science and Research department, and higher up would be the 'Unknowns' or other uncommercialized ShinRa branches like Ragnarök and Asaer. You would be caught dead going there, unless you have a permit to do so. Who knows what they might be brewing up in that place…

His boots scoffed, echoing though the hollow empty metal corridors. A slight hum and din from the metal walls could be heard and that only added to the unwelcome feeling of the building. It was also faintly lit since the only source of light were the emergency red lights that hung in the walls. He walked in strides, his huge buster sword swinging slightly from side to side on his back as his walked.

Well, so far so good. There's not a penny out of place. He hasn't seen anything peculiar or disturbing up to this point. uhh… whatever those peculiar or disturbing things he should be spotting were. What was he supposed to spot anyway? It wasn't like clowns would break into the facility through the air vents or something… He shrugs… but then again, anything could happen. Especially in ShinRa. For all he knew, there _could_ be clowns plotting for world domination out there, just itching to take over the company. He shudders. That was a scary thought.

His boots now gave a loud 'thunk' as his crossed the metal suspended bridge towards the other hall. Electrical tubes, giant clogs, sprockets and glowing mako could be seen from under his feet through the metal crisscrossed screen. Steam and gases hung in the air as the metal clock-work turned, keeping the building efficient into the night. He grimaced at the strong smell of Mako and the eeriness it gave off. Frankly, he didn't like crossing this part of the building.

It was creepy. It was said, that if you fell over these railings you would immediately meet your doom deep underground. He was also pretty sure that he heard a rumor about a hundred or so troopers, recruits and SOLDIERS suddenly went missing deep within the bowels of ShinRa. He shudders. Who knows what might've happened to them? But then again, for all he knew, it could still be just a rumor.

As he reached the other side, he pulled out a keycard from out of his pocket to proceed to the next level where he would finally end this stupid routine. Ahh… he should get some shuteye. It had been a long day. Not to mention, training the recruits was extremely tiring. It was like re-living his trooper days. He smiled to himself. Though, during his trooper days, he had been lucky enough to be in that special class where Angeal taught… If it wasn't for him, he wouldn't be in SOLDIER, let alone get to meet Sephiroth… Speaking of Sephiroth, why was he taking so long with Hojo? He grunted and sighed. Just has he was about to swipe the keycard on the slit, something caught him from the corner of his eye.

Why hadn't he noticed it there before? He blinked, making sure his tired eyes weren't deceiving him. Just as his eyes came into focus again he saw, sitting on a crate, eyes closed, a hand resting on a bent knee, helmet discarded by his foot and messy spiky blond hair flopped to one side… a sleeping trooper.

But not just any trooper.

Cautiously, the young new SOLDIER approached the quiescent recruit, dropping his hand that held the keycard and making sure that his boots won't make too much of a noise. As he neared the other, he noticed that the young boy was holding onto a standard rifle on his side, meaning that this kid must've had his last shift in guard duty. — But wait a minute. The last shift was already done about an hour ago… so, why was the kid still out here? He scratched his head.

Zack looked to his left then to his right, making sure that no one else was there in the hall. He craned his neck to inspect the trooper closely, his face just mere inches away from the blonde's. He quietly observes him, looking intently at the trooper's effeminate features. He observed how the boy's eye lashes flutter against the skin of his flushed cheeks and how the boy breathed softly in his slumber… hmm… well there's no wonder why the General chose this particular one to be the object of his lust.

He smirked and then sighed, hanging his head down and rubbing the back of his neck. Now what should he do? Should he just leave the poor guy here to sleep or should he just wake him up? He shrugged.

"Hm… I guess I should go with the latter." He mumbled softly. Or else Seph'll have his head for this if he didn't.

First, he gently poked the kid on the shoulder — there was no response.

Then, he tried shoving the boy awake… Again, no response.

He tried calling the boy's name again and again whilst shoving his shoulder. Still no reaction.

This is not good. This kid's a very heavy sleeper, he noticed. Oy vay. He rolled his eyes. He shrugged again and sighed. 'Guess he'll just have to carry the boy all the way to his floor, huh? Gently, he slipped his arms on the youth's back and underneath the boy's legs before lifting the boy up into his arms, bridal style. The SOLDIER gave a soft grunt. Geez, this guy is heavy, the SOLDIER mused.

When he finally managed to sling the boy's arms around his neck, he now started on a slow pace of supporting the boy's weight and walking towards the elevator. With careful hands he quickly swiped the keycard over to the slit and entered the gantry of the lift, letting the slow mechanism of the elevator doors slam shut behind him as he entered.

----------------------

"Thank you, General. That would be all for today." said a slurring oily voice.

The General bowed low as a gesture of respect towards the scientist, careful not to let them see the look of uttermost vehemence on his face. After that awkward moment, he straightened up and strode out of that dingy dark laboratory without a word before the automatic doors closed shut. Upon stepping out of the lab, he slumped his weight up against a grey wall and clutched his forehead in a wince of pain. A slew of curses filled his head at the Scientist's expense, cursing all life into oblivion as to whatever the doctor had given him in his dosage this time.

"Damn it." He grumbled has he straightened himself up, hands clutching against the wall.

"My, my… it's already past curfew and the General is still up and about?" A voice sounded through the supposedly disserted corridor. "And to think that he's a person who's very strict with time. Tsk tsk."

Whoever that person was, they have _no_ rite to taunt or tease him no matter what his/her position, especially in situations where the General of ShinRa was really not feeling very benevolent at the moment. The General turned around to regard where that annoying voice came from, eyes growing into dangerous slits and expecting to lash out violently. But instead, his glowing aqua eyes suddenly softened a bit into a look of surprise to see the person who was standing in front of him.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

A finely chiseled eyebrow was raised. "Now now, is that how you would greet a long lost friend?" The man then took this opportunity to walk and lean against the wall beside his friend, both hands slipping into his red leather coat's pockets.

Sephiroth now took this time to breathe and let the pain leave him and subside for a moment. He should not be showing this kind of weakness in front of anyone, even if that anyone were a friend. He sighed a shaky breath and straightened himself up before looking over at the other SOLDIER beside him, giving the man the up and down.

"No… I guess not." The silver-haired man said softly to his companion, meekly shaking his head. A small smile appeared on his lips. He shrugged and crossed his arms, leaning back on the wall, feeling the last few spasms of pain ebb away.

"Since when did you get back?" was the first question that popped into the General's mind upon laying eyes on the brunette SOLDIER. Well, as his principles would put it: being straight to the point will make things much easier. But the other did not share the same view in his insights.

The brunette beside him chuckled a bit. "Did you really miss me that much?" he smirked.

"Just answer the god damn question Genesis," came the curt threat.

"Oh, and you won't call me 'Gen-gen' anymore?" the other chuckled again. "And I thought you loved calling me by that name Sephy."

A dangerous smirk graced the General's lips. "First of all, I _never_ called you that. And second of all: do you still remember how I pummeled you into the next millennia when you called me by that idiotic name, Colonel Genesis?"

"Actually, it's Major General now."

"Oh, I deeply apologize." Sephiroth mock-bowed. "Major General Genesis."

"Yes. And I do remember quite clearly." He said as if relishing in a fond memory. "I still have the bruises for proof… Sephy." He emphasized the name only to irk the other before finishing with a laugh. "But seriously… I've only been here since about a couple of hours ago."

"hmm. I see." the General nodded, recoiling into silence. "What made them want to bring you back?" he said after a long while.

A shrug. "they didn't."

Another pause of silence was shared between the two, the two of them venturing into their own little world of thoughts.

"You still haven't answered my question." Sephiroth suddenly broke the silence. "What the heck are you doing here?"

"The funny thing is, I actually went to the 2nd Class' floor level… to see if you were still hanging out there." He smiled to himself. "But you weren't, so I thought I'd probably find you here which turned out to be right. I was actually hoping to come across the Brigadier General too."

Sephiroth was a bit startled by the brunette's answer and only stared at his friend with a quizzical look. The sentiment was bittersweet and it gave flashes of memories that were once were. Oh, how he missed those days where in you couldn't have a care in the world. He did. And somewhere in his mind, he would give anything to bring those days back.

"Those days are gone Genesis." Was all that he could say as he sighed, turning his head away. "Things are… different now… You know that."

The other merely nodded, glowing eyes hidden underneath brown locks, "Yes, I know." The SOLDIER said bitterly. "you could say I was just hoping…" The Major General's words trailed off somewhere and were never voiced out. The brunette smiled bitterly to himself again.

Silence once again reigned through that deserted corridor, both SOLDIERs never speaking a single word for the length of time as they both leaned comfortably against the wall next to each other. Oddly enough the situation brought a sense of nostalgia on both of them. It was like old times, as they say. They've shared situations like this in the past where in they would just settle back to the calming silence and the comforting company of one another. Just like this… quiet and peaceful coupled by the lulling comfort of the presence of the body next to yours. It was… priceless.

But eventually as all good things come and go so swiftly, the atmosphere was suddenly broken as the Major General abruptly pushed himself off the wall while smoothing down his red leather coat. "I guess I'd better be off." He said quietly to the silver-haired man beside him. "I have… things to attend to."

"I… understand." said the General hesitantly with a nod of his head.

His so-called friend then patted him on the shoulder as a sign on affection before looking into the other's glowing Mako eyes. "You sure you're gonna be alright General?" he said.

"Yes. It's only a small dosage anyway. I can manage on my own."

The brunette nodded and started to walk in the other direction, his red leather coat gliding behind him. Sephiroth just let him trail away as he slumped back on the wall. Damn… it was going to be a while before this pain would go away. He would have to kill that bastard Hojo for this someday, if it's the last thing he would do. He cursed.

"Oh and General, before I forget," the brunette turned around when he was halfway through the hall. Sephiroth raised his head to regard the other. "Be sure to take care of that new toy you've found lurking in the shower stalls the other night." A smirk graced the lips of the Major General.

Sephiroth considerably stiffened at that as he remained leaning against the wall. Of all the things that that was bothering him, this was not the right time to deal with it. "How did you get that information?" all feeling was lost from the General's tone as he glared daggers at the Major General.

The brunette gave a lighthearted chuckle. "You shouldn't be so surprised, General." He began, brushing back a few brown bangs. "Rumor spreads like wildfire in ShinRa, and most of the time they're half true. It's not a mystery how would I find out."

The General remained silent on his spot, glaring coldly at the other SOLDIER. Both his hands were clenched into tight fists, his Mako eyes glowed with such fierceness that it was difficult not to look away for a normal person.

"I must say, you have quite the taste, General." The other continued as he smirked, an underlying sentiment passed through his eyes.

"What are you implying, Major General?" Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow at the other SOLDIER.

Genesis shook his head, his soft brown locks sifting to his face. "I am not implying, I am merely stating what I observe."

"And what do you mean by that…?" the silver-haired man demanded.

"All I'm saying is that you should take good care of him. He might be a great new addiction to the army someday. Don't let anything get in yours or his way, General." He smirked as he let the words flow through the air as he turned around to continue his walk. "Anyway, I better get going. It was nice seeing you again… Sephiroth."

--------

Hot tongues lavished on heated skin. He couldn't breath he couldn't think, he could only feel… feel another's hot skin against his. The sheer friction and the building heat heightened his other senses. He felt… wet. Water… there was water everywhere, rippling through both their skins. It was hot and slippery and it felt good… and it hurt at the same time. There was blood, then there was an overwhelming warmth. He could here himself scream, his throat was getting sore, but he couldn't care less. He could feel himself weaken at his release, but then— something entered inside him, squeezing through him, pushing aside his walls. And then that spot. Oh gods yes that very spot! He heard himself moan and he begged silently for that spot to be hit again.

"Had enough trooper?" that voice… Oh Gaia that voice. It was already enough to make him spill.

Yes, yes, yes……… Aaaaaaaahh!

"Sephirooooth…!"

He shot up, blue eyes flying wide open. His hand clutched his chest as he panted heavily. He was sweating allover and he could feel the sheets stick to his skin. Though, he felt that his skin wasn't the only thing that was wet. Gently he lifted the sheets with a shaky finger and peeked under.

Damn… That's gotta stain.

"Oh, so you're awake." A voice said all too cheerfully.

He frantically looked for the source of that voice, only to find a pair of glowing dark blue mako eyes and a head full of spiky black hair.

He gulped.

* * *

AN: If you managed to reach this far then, congratulations. I admire your patience. Hah! It's finally done after such a long a time. -leans back on a chair and crosses arms behind head- Now I could take a break.

I really do apologize that this particular chapter took too long to post. I had… some issues to deal with. But anyway, I'm glad that people are still reading this. Although I highly doubt that anyone would be reading this fic anymore. –shifty eyes- since it's just crap anyway. (Don't lie to me! You people hate this fic!) And I am really sorry about the cliff-hanger. -smiles-

Notes: As promised here are some notes to clear some of the stuff up.

**The Ranks**:

Yes, I placed this here so that every body has a clear picture on what each character's position in the army.

Hierarchies:

1. General of the army/ Presisdent/ Fuhrer – this would be President ShinRa's position

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1st Class SOLDIER

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2. General – Sephiroth's position or rank

3. Lieutenant General – no one has occupied this rank yet… for the time being.

4. Major General – Genesis

5. Brigadier General – Angeal

6. Colonel

7. Lieutenant Colonel – Zack (don't worry Zack! You're almost at the top!)

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2nd Class SOLDIER

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8. Major

9. Captain

10. 1st Lieutenant

11. 2nd Lieutenant

13. Chief Warrant officer 5

14. CW 4

15. CW 3

16. CW 2

17. Warrant Officer 1

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3rd Class SOLDIER

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18. Sergeant Major of the Army

19. Command Sergeant Major or Commander

20. Sergeant Major

21. First Sergeant

22. Master Sergeant

23. Sergeant First Class (not to be confused with SOLDIER 1st Class)

24. Staff Sergeant

25. Sergeant

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4th Class SOLDIER

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26. Corporal

27. Specialist

28. Private First Class (not to be confused with SOLDIER 1st Class)

29. Private E2 / Advanced Trooper level – Cloud Strife (Go Cloud!XD)

30. Private E1 / Trooper level

Be sure to take note that each class has its own dispatch units, meaning that there are still ordinary troopers or security guards per class. They're probably the ones that did not make the cut into SOLDIER or did not get any promotion. As for Cloud, he's still a student in Shinra and I think he's a third or a second year.

There, that pretty much sums it up. This is my version of the Shinra army so… I hope I'm not confusing anyone. XP I thank my friend, whythechickencrossedtheroad for the info. The 4th chappie is well on its way and it's already in the works.

If you guys need to ask me questions or tell me your reactions then please go right ahead and do so. I'm not stopping you. -points to the review button-


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